Tejas Tonic’s Orange Sunshine Is a Pool Party in a Can
Isa D’Aniello’s packaging for Tejas Tonic’s Orange Sunshine splits the layout into two graphic zones with radiating sunbursts up top and electric blue water squiggles below.
The typography is blocky, stretching wide but without losing legibility. An orange slice anchors the composition like a sun-inspired badge. Overall, the design is loud, saturated, and impossible to miss in a cooler.
Isa D’Aniello answers a few questions about the design process below.
What was the client’s brief for this project?
The clients (both Tejas Tonic and Cowboy Pools) overall goal for this product launch was to come together in true Tejas (meaning “friendly”) fashion to create a limited edition beverage perfect for summertime, relaxation, and unwinding by a body of water.
Both brands value the practices of “gettin’ easy,” so the spirit of this new low-dase THC and CBD drink is to help you do just that. The target audience for this product is men and women 25-44, possibly sober-curious, who enjoy non-alcoholic beverage options for unwinding and social activities.
How did you execute the brief, and what were some of the strategic design elements that you built into the brand?
Visually, the clients wanted to lean into the name “Orange Sunshine” and associated visuals. The name “Orange Sunshine” is both a nod to the psychedelic era of the 60s, and the (often oppressive) heat of a Texas summer. Tejas Tonic’s existing can designs utilize the art of Austin art legend Kerry Awn, and the designs are hand-drawn and a bit rustic.
To contrast, Cowboy Pools’ branding is cleaner, vector-based, with typography that feels Western – a nod to their “Cowboy” roots (they sell custom stock tank pools). The can and carton design for Orange Sunshine aimed to find a harmonious blend between the two brands. Cowboy Pools’ logo is a stylized sunset over a body of water – I was inspired by this, while taking into consideration the Tejas Tonic team’s vision for a “sun-focused” and “Dali-esque” illustration. To execute the brief, I sketched out two different looks, with distinct illustration styles.
The team picked my first sketch, which I finessed into the final design. I ended up illustrating a literal orange slice sun burst dripping into a body of water. To keep things drippy and groovy, shapes are organic with no harsh lines. The “beauty copy” also follows the wavy, free-flowing look established on the front of the can. On the carton, I illustrated our “orange sun” splashing into a Cowboy Pool. The carton, in particular, is more of a celebration of the partnership.
Can you further explain the “retro meets western” aesthetic and why/how you brought that into the design?
While both brands have very different looks visually, the ethos “retro meets Western” resonated with both. Tejas Tonic’s packaging design is “retro” in style, and it also an illustration Kerry Awn made back in the day for a poster (I’m not sure exactly on the specifics of this artwork).
The brand design (by Marc Ferrino) skews Western and heavily into the Texas aesthetic. Cowboy Pools also has a similar aesthetic, just with a different approach. To bring this into the can design, I chose a typeface – SG Sunblum, with sleek, elongated lined and bold, asymmetrical letterforms. Its dynamic and eye-catching appearance felt just at home with the retro psychedelic vibe I was going for. To complement the illustration, I chose a limited 4-color palette that felt within both the Tejas Tonic and Cowboy Pools ecosystems.
What was the most difficult part of the design process and why?
The biggest challenge for this project was finding the proper visual blend between two distinct brands. This was a true collaboration between friends, and I was given creative freedom and trust (important!) to carry this project across the finish line. We also had a very short timeline of 1 week to finish BOTH the can and carton designs to get the product delivered and launched by summer.
Case Study
Just in time for summer, two beloved Austin-based brands – Tejas Tonic and Cowboy Pools – teamed up to launch Orange Sunshine, a sparkling low-dose hemp beverage made to elevate your summer without the hangover. Terpene-boosted and vibe-checked, this all-natural, sugar-free, zero-calorie drink offers a mellow, citrusy buzz thanks to 10mg of CBD and 2mg of THC in every sleek 12oz can.
The name Orange Sunshine pays homage to both its citrus-forward flavor, the Grateful Dead, and a Woodstock-era spirit – a nod to the free-spirited, sun-soaked ethos that both brands share.
The can and carton design is retro meets western, bright and energetic, with a touch of 60s psychedelia. Austin-born designer, Isa D’Aniello, crafted the design as an ode to Austin, and the “gettin’ easy” feeling you get from drinking a Tejas Tonic. It is inspired by the notorious Texas heat, where the best escape is a body of water with a cold drink in hand. The can and carton packaging feature an orange sun seamlessly melting into a presumably ice-cold pool, a nod to Cowboy Pools’ signature stock tank pools popular across Texas and beyond.